Folding basket for market carriers



March 28, 1950 G. w. CONCKLIN 2,501,843

FOLDING BASKET FOR MARKET CARRIERS Filed Nov. 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Q ML g gf-ll v I lql I, 8 3H INVENTOR ATTO R Y March 28, 1950 w,CQNCKLIN 2,501,843

FOLDING BASKET FOR MARKET CARRIERS Filed Nov. 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR 4%5. Za a/ME W Ca/va u/v A'i'T RNEY Patented Mar. 28,, 1950UNITED STATES FOLDING BASKET FOR MARKET CARRIERS George W. Concklin,Sulfern, N. Y., assignor to John Chatillon & Sons, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application November 15, i946, Serial No.710,057

2 Claims.

The invention relates to folding baskets for market carriers or wheeledcarts such as are commonly employed nowadays in chain grocery stores,so-called super-markets and other selfservice stores. It is particularlyapplicable for use in conjunction with market carriers which can befolded so as to occupy a minimum space when not in use.

In stores which provide carrier carts for the convenience of customersin assembling and carrying their purchases to the wrapping counter orcashiers station, it is customary to keep the carriers with emptybaskets near the store entrance where the customer takes one uponarrival and wheels it around like a baby buggy.

The empty carriers and baskets take up considerable space, frequentlygetting in the Way of customers as they arrive and hampering trade atnearby counters through obstruction of the- It is an object of thepresent invention aisles. to alleviate this diflicultyby providing animproved form of folding basket which is especially adapted for use inconjunction with folding carts and which, in its collapsed condition,will occupy a minimum space.

It is also a particular object of my invention to provide a collapsiblebasket which has telescoping sides, the several sections of which willnest completely within one another so as to fold entirely flat and thusoccupy only a small fraction of the space required for the open basket.I am aware that collapsible baskets have been made heretofore, but ithas been an object of my invention to provide an improved constructionwhich will fold flatter and which is generally more simple and compactthan any basket which has been devised before.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will appear morefully as the descrip tion proceeds.

In the drawings, Figs. 1 to 3 illustrate a preferred embodiment of myinvention, Fig. 1 showing the basket in central longitudinal verticalcross-section, Fig. 2 being a transverse sectional view taken asindicated at 2--2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 being a detail cross-sectionalview showing to an enlarged scale the lower left-hand corner of Fig. 2with the basket collapsed.

Figs. 4 to 6 show a modified basket construction, Fig. 4 being a centrallongitudinal vertical cross-section, Fig. 5 being a transverse sectionalview taken as indicated at 5-5 in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 being an enlargeddetail cross-sectional View showing the lower left-hand corner of Fig. 5with the basket collapsed.

The basket in its general arrangement comprises a bottom 1, end members8 hingedly mounted in association with the bottom as at 9, and a seriesof horizontal side members Ill arranged in substantial parallelism ateach side of the basket, the side members being pivotally securedindividually to'the sides of end members 8 as at H. An important featureof the construction resides in forming the end members 8 with theirsides l2 (Fig. 2) inclined upwardly and outwardly so as to be ofprogressively increasing width from bottom to top. Thus the lateralspacing of successive pairs of side members at opposite sides of thebasket increases from bottom to top to form upwardly and outwardlyinclined sides, so that when the end members are folded down intocollapsed position the side members I!) can be brought into overlappingor telescoped relationship as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The basket can befolded by moving the right-hand end member 8 (as viewed in Fig. 1) aboutits pivot 9 in the direction indicated by the arrow a.

Or if desired the lefthand end member 8 can be folded inwardly, i. e.the basket can be collapsed in either direction as may be desired.

If desired, the bottom 1 may be perforate as indicated in the drawings,or it can be made of expanded metal or of a solid metal sheet. In theconstruction illustrated, the bottom I is carried by a. frame havinginwardly projecting flanges l3, vertical flanges I4 around itsperiphery, and an inwardly and downwardly extending portion l5therebetween forming a recessed support. Hinge elements l6 are welded orotherwise secured to the bottom frame and hinge elements i! aresimilarly secured to the lower portion of the end members 8. Also inthis construction the end members 8 are shown as formed from solid metalsheets provided with a series of inwardly projecting vertical flanges l8to which the side members 10 are pivotally secured as aforesaid by meansof rivets or bolts at I l. The sloping sides I 2 of the ends of thebasket are recessed slightly between the inwardly projecting flanges IBas shown in Fig. 2.

The side members I 0 may be of any suitable construction and are hereshown as rod-like members having flattened end portions IQ forconvenient attachment to the vertical flanges 18 of the ends. The topedge of the end members 8 may be turned over to form a flange or bead 20for reinforcement and to provide a smooth edge. The completed basket maybe permanently secured to the top frame or shelf .ment of a hinge.

of the carrier, or if desired may be removably carried thereon.

t will be observed that in the construction I have described the seriesof horizontal side members IE! are pivotally secured to the flanges [8in different vertical planes as best illustrated in Fig. 2. It is thisarrangement which makes it possible for the side members to be arrangedin the overlapping position shown in Fig. 3 when the basket iscollapsed, making an extremely compact unit.

In the modified construction illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6, the ends ofthe basket are built up of a series of flat parallel straps 2i rivetedto supports 22 as at 23, these straps'being of progressively greaterlength from bottom to top of the basket so that the sides of the basketends incline upwardly and outwardly as in the construction previouslydescribed. The ends of'the straps 2i are flanged inwardly as at M.Horizontal side members 25 .arerpivotallysecured to these flanged,portions 2 3 .as by means of the. rivets 2%. The side members may bereinforced by raised ribs 2'1 and the uppermost pair of .side members inthe constructionshown are .fianged outwardly and downwardly as at 28 tostrengthen them and protect the user against sharp edges.

The lower ends of the supports 22 are bent inwardly as shown inFig. 4and terminate (in .a cylindrical portion -2Sl (Fig. 6) forming one ele-The other .element '31] of the hinge is bolted to theirametl of thebottom which may be .constructed in a manner similar to that which hasbeen described withreierence to .Figs. 1 to 3inclusive. The bottom .1and members .of theframe 3! may be secured together inanymanner as bymeans of bolts.32. .A..hinge pin 33 passes through the elements 29 .andv3!) as shown in Fig. 5. Fig. '6 showslhow the side members 2'5 nesttogether when the basket .is in collapsed position so that the basketwill take up a small amount of space. Thisisof particular importancewhen the basket is attached to located above the plane of the bottom,said end members having side edges inclined upwardly and outwardly, aseries of inwardly projecting vertical flanges along said inclined sideedges,

said vertical flanges being arranged in difierent vertical planes, and aseries of horizontal side members pivotally secured to said verticalflanges in said different vertical planes.

.2. A folding basket for market carriers comprising a bottom, like endmembers hingedly mounted in association with the bottom, said endmembers having side edges inclined upwardly and outwardly, .a series ofinwardly projecting vertical flanges along said inclined side edges,said vertical flanges being arranged in different vertical planes, and a.series of hori- .zontal side members pivotally secured to said verticalfiangesinsaiddifferent vertical planes,

the side members being vmounted on the outside of said flanges atibothends :of the basket.

GEORGE WVCONCKLIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file .01this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 978,759 .Koesters Dec. 13, 19101,158,984 'Claiborn .Nov. ,2, 1915 2,293,966 Best Aug. 25, 1942

